Hey Jude (song)

"Hey Jude" is a song written by Paul McCartney (though credited as Lennon/McCartney).

Inspiration
In 1968, John Lennon and his wife Cynthia separated after Lennon drunkenly admitted to cheating on her with Yoko Ono. At the time, their son Julian Lennon was five, so while on his way down to see how they were doing, Paul composed "Hey Jude" on the car ride over. At first it was to be called "Hey Jules" but Paul thought "Hey Jude" sounded better. Julian wouldn't discover that "Hey Jude" was about him until almost 20 years later.

Originally, John thought the song was written for him:


 * "But I always heard it as a song to me. If you think about it... Yoko's just come into the picture. He's saying. 'Hey, Jude—Hey, John.' I know I'm sounding like one of those fans who reads things into it, but you can hear it as a song to me ... Subconsciously, he was saying, Go ahead, leave me. On a conscious level, he didn't want me to go ahead."

Strangely enough, several others believed the song was an unconscious message to himself about his failing relationship with actress Jane Asher.

Across the Universe
"Hey Jude" is sung by Max towards the end of the film. Max, while in America, sings the song in a bar. Jude, also in a bar, decides to return to America (legally) and is greeted by several others singing along.

Namesake
The main character is named after "Hey Jude."